364 workers in Mideast need legal aid

364 workers in Mideast need legal aid

JAKARTA: At least 364 Indonesian workers in Abu Dhabi, Kuwait,
and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, require legal protection and aid, the
director of the Legal Aid Agency for Migrant Workers (BPHTKLN),
Yunus Yamani, said on Sunday.

However, he estimated that there were hundreds more workers,
women in particular, facing legal problems but remained
undetected because they were employed in many small towns in the
two Middle Eastern countries. He added that not all manpower
export companies provided legal aid for workers, as required by a
2002 ministerial decree on Indonesian labor exports.

"BPHTKLN has hired lawyers in 14 towns in Saudi Arabia and two
lawyers in Kuwait to represent the workers," Yunus told Antara,
adding that the agency would soon sign contracts with lawyers in
several towns in Jordan, Qatar and Egypt.

Yunus added that an online system had been set up to maintain
contact with the overseas lawyers, and to allow the supplier
companies and the workers' families to monitor the cases.

"We hope that all cases can be settled ... and the legal aid
can also help to decrease the number of problems the workers face
and improve their welfare, which has been neglected for the last
20 years," he said. --Antara